Volume 13, Issue 2A and 2B, 2025
Perceived Influence of Mental Health Preventive Practices on Mental Health Status of Widows in Lagos State, Nigeria.
Ogundero Oluwabunmi Abiodun
Abstract
The challenges encountered by widows, as revealed by previous studies,
significantly affect their mental health status, causing them mental stress,
trauma, sadness, anxiety, depression, stigma, hopelessness, loss of purpose for
living, retarded thinking, loneliness, low self-esteem and indecision. This
study investigated the perceived influence of mental health preventive
practices on the mental health status of widows in Lagos State, Nigeria. The
target population were all widows within five years of widowhood in Lagos
State, South-West Nigeria. Such widows were selected based on the
consideration that the period of their widowhood was relatively recent and
fresh and they may still be going through pressures or emotional pains arising
from the loss. The study adopted descriptive research design, utilized
quantitative data through survey method and data was collected with the use
of Mental Health Preventive Practices Questionnaire (MHPPQ). The
reliability of the instrument was carried out using the test-retest method while
One hundred (100) widows were selected through convenient sampling
technique from Badagry and Ojo Local Government Areas in Lagos State.
Data were analyzed with frequency counts while the inferential statistics of chi
square (x2) was used to test the hypotheses. Results revealed that seeking
professional counselling and adoption of positive coping mechanism had
significant influence on mental health status of young widows in Lagos State.
It was concluded that seeking professional counselling and adopting positive
coping mechanism have significant influence on the mental health status of
widows in Lagos State.
Keywords
Widows, Mental Health, Preventive Practices, coping mechanisms, lifestyle.
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